


Born of Ashes

by NightCourt_HighLady



Category: Bloodlines Series - Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy & Related Fandoms, Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2018-12-21 13:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11945418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightCourt_HighLady/pseuds/NightCourt_HighLady
Summary: AU after The Fiery Heart. In Reeducation Sydney learns something that will turn her life, and Adrian's, upside down forever. Alone in the hands of the Alchemysts, Sydney must risk everything to save both herself and her baby. Meanwhile, ignorant of this new development, Adrian is exhausting every resource available to get Sydney back. But how will he handle the sudden impact of fatherhood? And can Sydney get out of Reeducation with her sanity intact?





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic a while back and it's also posted elsewhere. But I finally started writing on it again so I figured I'd dribble the chapters out on here to see if there's an audience for it still. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Sydney 

As always, I woke in the dark.

They considered me guilty of consorting with darkness, so, with their strange sense of irony, they kept me in the dark. Occasionally, they’d flood my cell with odd bits of light to keep me from truly resting. I had no way to keep time, which is how they wanted it. They wanted someone confused, uncertain, exhausted and afraid. Too bad they had me instead. I was Alchemist enough to understand their methods, but there wasn’t much they could do to me yet, though time would doubtlessly change that.

I had made plans on using my menstrual cycle to keep time, but it hadn’t come yet. I was assuming that I hadn’t been imprisoned as long as I thought. Time must be running more slowly than I thought. They must have been manipulating my sense of time like they were manipulating my diet.

Time passed, and what with all the thinking time that the Alchemists gave me, I began to wonder exactly how long I had been in here. I thought about the side effects of the birth control pill I had chosen and a disappearing menstrual cycle was not one of them. Even though every logical part of me told me that it was stupid, I began to worry.

“Hello again, Sydney,” the mysterious voice said. It was a vaguely female, robotic sort of voice. It was bland enough to match the grey-white shift they had me wearing that barely gave me the illusion of modesty. It liked to talk to me, to draw me out. They wanted me to confess my ‘sins’ of my own volition. They didn’t realize how unlikely that was. They had no hold over me. My sister betrayed me, my father hated me, and the rest of my family was unlikely to be able to see me. They couldn’t do anything to Adrian either, he wasn’t in their jurisdiction.

“We have news for you Sydney,” I stayed silent. It was best not to talk to them. “We have discovered the depths of your depravity.” The voice sounded equal parts gleeful and disgusted, even through the distorter. My stomach sank as I realized what they were about to tell me.

“We know about the mutant spawn you’ve created, Sydney.”

No, not this, anything but this…

“You have been defaced, you must be cleansed.” Tears filled my eyes as the signs I had been ignoring fell into place. Then her words penetrated the fog of fear, worry, and a tiny spark of joy. They wanted to kill my baby.

“What?” I said, then I shrieked at the top of my lungs “NO! NO! YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM! DON’T DO THIS!”

“You don’t wish to be cleansed?” the voice asked, disgusted. I didn’t care what they thought of me. The tears that had threatened earlier began to fall as I sobbed. They wanted a way in with me, now they had it.

“Please!” I begged, “Please, I’ll do anything! Just let me give him to Adrian, don’t kill him please! He’s just a baby, he can’t help what he is! He’s an innocent!”

“None of these creatures are innocent,” the voice replied impassively.

“Please!,” I continued, “he can grow up to guard more Moroi, that makes your job easier! Give him to Adrian, give him to a Moroi Academy, anything, just please don’t kill him! Please!”

The voice was silent. I begged and pleaded and cried. I was serious too. In the moments since I learned of this little dhampir’s existence, I had come to love it with all of my heart. It somehow didn’t diminish my love for Adrian, it was as though my heart grew larger to accommodate all of the love I needed for my baby. It was probably the weirdest thing I’d ever experienced, but also the most beautiful. Was this what it meant to be a mother?

Eventually, the voice returned. “We have decided that your plea for the creature’s life indicates that you have not lost your morality, you are simply misguided and corrupted. In this light, we have decided to grant your request. When your creature can live without you, we will give it to its father and we can begin your reeducation in earnest. For now you must do what we say.”

I swallowed. I knew that this would kill me. If not bodily, these people would kill my soul. But I knew that I had no other choice if I wanted to keep my baby safe.

Adrian 

I was exhausted.

I could barely feel spirit anymore, even though I had quit my mood stabilizers over a month ago. I had spent almost every moment looking for Sydney in dreams. At least when I wasn’t at Carlton. I had wanted to withdraw, but I knew Sydney wouldn't want me to. I had to finish this semester for her. She would have been so disappointed if I’d given up. This was an opportunity that she’d wanted for years, I wouldn’t waste it.

So I didn’t.

I kept painting.

If the palates had dimmed to black and grey, my professors and friends didn’t comment. If the only colors I used were yellow and purple- well, only Jill understood. And I rarely looked into her eyes for the pity I couldn’t face.

Every spare moment I was in a dream trance, searching for Sydney. All I had to go on was Marcus’s thoughts. _They want to integrate her back into the fold. To do so, they’ll try to make it as familiar as possible. She will be with Americans- her own culture by their thinking._ Honestly, it made sense. There’s no way they’d expose her to new cultures. The problem with this theory was that I still couldn’t find Sydney. I’d even tried in class once or twice to make sure they weren’t using the time to manipulate me into not finding her. But in the end? Nothing. Except major spirit crashes constantly and my late great-aunt’s voice telling me what I already knew- that I was a failure.

We practically harassed Maura, the new Alchemist. The most I’d gotten from her was a smirk when I mentioned reeducation. That smirk made me afraid. I wanted to compel her, but she probably didn’t know Sydney’s location. Marcus agreed. Even Jackie Terwillinger was searching. But her attempts to find Sydney magically were as fruitless as my plea to Lissa.

“Adrian,” she’d said, exasperated, “She’s under their jurisdiction. I cannot contest that under these circumstances. I’m sorry.” In my fear and spirit induced rage, I’d attempted to verbally lash out.

“Doesn’t matter if they’re torturing her, Torturing her for being friends with us Moroi!” Lissa had sighed.

“I’m sorry, Adrian, there’s nothing I can do.” I’d simply hung up, afraid to speak. Afraid to tell her that my flame in the dark might just go out if we can’t save her.

My phone rang again. Jill.

“Adrian, she’ll be alright,” Jill soothed.

“How?” I said softly in a broken voice.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, “But she’s strong. And you’re strong. You will make it through this, you both will.”


	2. Confession

Sydney

Every day was a fresh new hell.

Every time I woke up, I feared they’d taken him away. I wasn’t showing or feeling anything and I was given no doctors. No ultrasound. I would never get the experience of hearing my first baby’s heartbeat on a monitor to know it was alive. I had to hope. 

I’d spent the whole time alone thinking. I mostly thought of Adrian. I hoped that he would take little Aleks. That was what I’d decided to name him. Aleksandr Phoenix. I wasn’t usually a fan of terribly odd names, but this was different. Adrian has always called me his flame in the dark. It seemed apt that my child be named after a beautiful, immortal bird that rises from the ashes of a fire.

Adrian. I missed him so much. I felt tears on my face again. I knew I would never see him again. I hoped that Jill was helping him make it through all of this. I knew that she’d be glad to help him with Aleks if he chose to hold on to the baby. My last gift to Adrian. A reminder that I love him and a reason to keep going.

I had complied in their search for information. One of the biggest things they wanted to know was how I had fallen away from the fold. So I told them.

I started with Rose. Many people’s stories started with Rose Hathaway, including Adrian’s. But it was obvious that I had his heart. So I told them how terrified I was of Rose at first. I couldn’t sleep near her. But then she’d saved my life from a Strigoi. I told them how that had softened me toward her and her kind. I told them that the real reason that I had helped her was that I believed that she was innocent. I told them about how I saw the love that she felt for Dimitri as well as his love for her.

“Those creatures are not innocent, Sydney,” the voice told me smugly, “You should have trusted your superiors, not your questionable instincts. They are created to be desirable for their prey, that is simple science.” I stayed silent, not believing this, but unwilling to engage in this argument. “What happened in Palm Springs, Sydney?”

“I had been fighting with my sister before I left,” I told them, “I felt like I’d failed her. So I did what I could to protect Jill and help her be happy.”

“That creature is not your sister,” the voice admonished.

“No, but her behavior and age were similar,” I countered.

“They are very good at appearing humanlike,” the voice conceded, “But you should not have let the disagreement with your sister taint your relationship with the Moroi.” 

I proceeded to tell them about how I began to want to take care of Jill, and by default, since she cared about Adrian, I began taking care of him too. I spent time with him and became friends with him. I told them that I had spent a long time ignoring what I felt, trying to be a good Alchemist, before I decided to pursue a relationship with him.

“Your statements give us hope for you, Sydney,” the cool voice said, “You were attempting to fight through temptation. You should have requested a new assignment however, instead of attempting to work through the temptation. If you had done so, we could have helped you before you ended up here.”

I was quiet. I decided not to tell them about the magic, it would only get Ms. Terwilliger in trouble. I didn’t tell them about Abe and my ‘devil’s bargain’ either, I wasn’t convinced that Abe’s influence didn’t reach this far. I didn’t want him as an enemy. I thought about mentioning Marcus, but I didn’t want them to find him or suspect that I knew his whereabouts. As if they read my mind, the voice spoke again:

“It’s been recorded in your file that you have mentioned Marcus Finch and asked questions about him. Did he find you?” the voice sounded eager. I shook my head.

“Everything I tried was a dead end,” I explained, “I never even ended up figuring out what it was he did, aside from rescuing Clarence Donahue from the Warriors of Light.” I knew they would never believe I’d given up on Marcus, but this was a lie they’d believe. If they couldn’t track him, there was no reason to think that I could. No reason to think that a simple girl would be smarter than they are

“Marcus Finch betrayed our people,” the voice said, “He corrupts innocent Alchemists and leads them down paths of darkness. Many of his associates have ended up here as well,” the voice added smugly.

Adrian

Marcus had a lead after four months. Our first lead. He was meeting me in my apartment later to talk to me about it. Since I was done with classes for the summer, I had spent the day in the meditative state necessary for looking for Sydney in dreams. As had become my normal, Aunt Tatiana was screeching at me about my inability to find Sydney. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore her.  _ You’re weak, incapable… _ I shook my head. None of this was helping me find Sydney.

To distract myself until Marcus arrived, I checked my mail. I saw an envelope from Carlton. Surprisingly, I felt a bit worried. I almost hated myself for caring about grades right now, but I knew that Sydney would be so excited by the envelope. She would be so excited about me getting my grades back, and so proud no matter what my grades were. She’d be proud of me for finishing. I stared at the envelope, tears in my eyes. Finally, I tore it open. My eyes widened in shock as my phone buzzed with a message from Jill.

_ Awesome! She’d be so proud. _

I looked at the sheet of paper with a mix of A’s and B’s on it, and knew she was right. Sydney would have been pleased. She would have been so proud, and would have proposed a celebration for the next time she could get away. She would have likely driven me out to Pies and Stuff. The paper fell out of my fingers a I put my head in my hands.

When I answered the door to Marcus’s knock, he was wise enough not to comment on my bloodshot eyes or the sheet of grades on the floor.

“I found something,” he said instead. I felt something I hadn’t let myself feel in a long time. Hope. “I found the list of possible locations of the Reeducation center.”

“Well where is she?” I demanded.

“I still don’t know yet,” he admitted, “We have to scour each city individually. It will take anytime from a few days to a few weeks to knock a city off the list.”

“Then what good are you?” I spat almost regretting it, but not quite.  _ What do you think you’re doing, boy? You’re never going to find her this way.  _ Aunt Tatiana was right.

“It’s something,” Marcus said quietly, “I’ll do what I can and keep you posted.” I simply nodded, distracted by Aunt Tatiana’s torrent of abuse. She kept bringing back up the fear on Sydney’s face when she’d spoken to Keith. That was what I was abandoning her to. I almost didn’t need Aunt Tatiana, I could have done plenty of personal harm all by myself. That night, I took the first drink I had drank in ages. And I didn’t stop.

Because the center didn’t hold.


	3. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a little bit of a gore warning. It's not super gorey or gross, but this chapter has both torture and childbirth in it. I didn't go graphic really, I don't think. If you think it's bad enough to need a warning, let me know and I'll fix the story settings.

Sydney

Once they stopped asking questions, that’s when they began the true reeducation. Ignoring my state, they began physical torture. 

The first day of my new torture routine, they brought me into a room where they hooked me up to a machine. They pulled up a projector and pulled up a picture of a Strigoi.

“What is this?” the cool voice asked.

“It’s a Strigoi,” I said. 

“How does it make you feel?” the voice pushed.

“A bit nervous,” I admitted, “Those things shouldn’t exist.” That was one thing everyone agreed on. Strigoi were perversions of nature. 

“I want you to repeat after me,” the voice said, “Say ‘This is a creature of evil.’”

“What?” I asked confused. Suddenly, my arm was lowered into a vat. I screamed so suddenly and so loudly that I thought I felt something tear in my throat. It was as though I had lowered my arm into a vat of pure pain. 

“Say it!” the voice commanded.

“This is a creature of evil!” I choked out in a harsh scream. They pulled my arm from the vat. Miraculously, it was unmarked. I started feeling a bit sick, and not because of Aleks. This is what they were going to do to me.

And so they did. 

I was submitted to the torture for hours at the time. After they were convinced that I was properly terrified of Strigoi, they moved on to Moroi.

This was the hardest thing I’d ever experienced. After the arm of mystery acid proved to not work, they started both arms. Then they started on my legs. After a while, they began to lower my whole body into the vat of acid. As I screamed, the cool female voice spoke.

“You can stop this anytime you want Sydney,” it said, “The power is in your hands.” I couldn’t speak at all, all I could do was scream. Eventually, I passed out. 

After that particular incident, they moved on to a drug that made me feel like I needed to throw up, but I couldn’t. They’d show me pictures and video of innocent Moroi, even some of Adrian and Jill that I couldn’t imagine how they found. 

When I’d been in there around five months or so, or at least that was my guess based on the tiny, but significant bump over my stomach, I started to worry about how I’d react to a Moroi. I wondered if any of this was taking. I didn’t feel like I meant any of it, but I also didn’t know. If I ever got out, I didn’t want to be afraid of Adrian. But then I wondered if it was at all possible for me to be afraid of Adrian.

I was glad I couldn’t see my body much anymore. I knew I was huge, and I felt awful. I was glad that the Alchemysts didn’t know how worrying my weight and figure was for me, I knew they’d have done something awful like mirror all of the walls. While I was beyond thrilled to be the home to this little dhampir, I wasn’t thrilled at how it made me look.

When I wasn’t being tortured, I liked to imagine how Adrian would be. In my mind, Adrian was an amazing, devoted dad, much like he probably would be in reality one day. When the first visible bump showed up, Adrian would have looked at me with his irresistible green eyes shining. He would have been so proud of himself, and would have cracked jokes all the time. When I felt fat, he would have made a point to tell me how beautiful I was. He would have read strange poetry to Aleks, and talked to him constantly. I rubbed my belly.

“It’ll be okay, little Aleks,” I croaked. I always made a point to talk to him, no matter how hoarse I was. If I ever got to see him again after he was born, I wanted him to remember me. Suddenly, I felt something move against my hand. “Aleks?” I croaked again. “I felt another movement against my hand. Tears began falling. If Adrian had been there, I would have yelled his name, and he would have come in a panic, thinking something was wrong or that I was going into labor months and months early. I would have placed his hand against my belly and told him to talk to the baby. He would have, and he would have sat there in wonder as he felt his own child’s movements for the first time. Proof of life. I cried harder.

I cried because my baby was alive.

I cried because Adrian would never know this.

I cried because I would never be able to tell him.

 

An indefinable amount of time later, I began wondering when my due date was. I figured I was fairly close, but not terribly so. I winced as Aleks felt the need to kick with both feet somewhere near my spine.

“Shh, little Aleks,” I told him, “You’ll be out of there soon. You’ll get to meet your daddy soon.”

Suddenly, a sharp, awful pain ripped through me.

“Ohhhh…” I moaned, “No, please not now…” For a while, I felt like the universe had given me a reprieve. But it hadn’t. After a significant amount of time with random, regular ripping pains, I heard the voice through the speakers.

“You are paying penance,” it said, “Cleansing the body of darkness is a painful process. Soon, you will be able to truly begin your journey back to the light.”

So that’s why there were no painkillers. Not that I expected any, the manipulation they were doing was more their style.

“Alright, Aleks,” I said, gritting my teeth, “Don’t make mommy wait too long, okay?” The only response was another ripping pain. I screamed. All I wanted was Adrian. After the pains began getting closer together, I couldn’t help it.

“Adrian…” I moaned in pain, “Adrian, please help me.”

“Only God can help you now,” the voice said. 

After more pain, I heard a small pop, and the floor was suddenly covered in water. The pressure on my belly that I hadn’t realized I’d been feeling was slightly relieved. Then the pain came. 

One right after another the contractions came, I barely had enough presence of mind through the screams to push with them, hoping that it would help. 

After a sudden massive pain following a contraction, I happened to look down. I almost forgot the pain, because the head and shoulders of a baby were visible. I put all of my effort into one giant push, and suddenly there she was.

My Aleksandr Phoenix was a girl. I picked her up for a moment and cuddled her against my chest. 

“Phoenix Adriana,” I murmured to her, “my little Nixie, my little dhampir.” I crooned to her for a few minutes, holding her close.

Suddenly a man comes in with a mask over his face. He wordlessly takes my baby from me and does some routine tests and cleanup. But when he was done, instead of giving her back, he walked away. I tried to get up and follow him, but I couldn’t. I was weak and in pain. 

“NIXIE!” I screamed, hoarse, “Phoenix! Nixie! Bring her back!”  
“She is darkness,” the voice told me, “Tainted, like you. But you can compensate for your sins and keep her alive. Listen to us and we will be sure that Lord Ivashkov is informed of his spawn.” I fell silent. There was no question of not doing what they said. If there was the tiniest chance that Nixie could be spared, I would spare her. In that moment, I knew that I would never see her or Adrian again. 

I felt my heart shatter, and with it my spirit and resistance.


	4. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting. Gotta love life getting in the way of things. I've still got a bunch of chapters of this, I just keep forgetting to post.

Adrian

I had spent the last two months drunk.

It wasn’t a long period of time by my history, but felt like forever. Every moment without Sydney was a kind of hell but I hated myself for feeling that way. She truly was in hell and I haven’t been helping her. In my rare sober moments, I’d look for her in dreams, but I got nothing but a wall. I hadn’t had any company aside from Aunt Tatiana in who knows how long. Which is why I stayed drunk- it shut her up. I stared at the cheap vodka in my hand. Was this the depth that I’d sunk to?

Suddenly, Marcus was in my apartment, courtesy of the key I gave him for if he needed it.

“Adrian,” he snapped, “Didn’t she have a sister who was passed over for Alchemyst duties?” I looked up blearily and nodded.

“Carly,” I rasped, voice hurting from not having used it for much the past while.

“I found Carly,” Marcus said, “She might be able to help us. If you sober up, you can come with me to see her.” I stared at the bottle again. Suddenly, filled with disgust, I got up and poured its contents down the drain. Marcus looked approving. “Now go shower,” he said, “You’ll scare her away.”

When I stepped into the bathroom, I realized Marcus was right. I doubtlessly smelled like cheap liquor, my hair was… well it wasn’t attractively rumpled, that’s for sure. I also needed to shave. I looked like a once-rich hobo. _You need a haircut_ came from Jill in a text. I smiled slightly before showering.

The hot shower, clean hair, and shave went a long way towards helping me feel better. I emerged with my hair in better repair to find Marcus on the phone. “Now that I’m capable of charming eldest Sage” I attempted, “Shall we?” Marcus looked relieved to see me seeming normal. How often had he checked in and seen me drunk and stupid these past two months? I was still broken and empty inside, but with this new lead, I had a purpose, I had hope. I could find her.

Several hours later, we were pulling up to a college dorm. The whole way there, Marcus and I had been talking about how to approach Carly Sage. we hadn’t come up with much, but he hoped that mentioning that Sydney was in trouble would help. We knocked and she answered the door, similar enough to Sydney to make my heart ache. Her eyes flashed.

“No, I want no part of the alchemyst crap. I gave that up years ago.” She went to close the door and I took the plunge.

“Please,” I begged shamelessly, “We have to help Sydney!” She opened the door again partially, still suspicious.

“Help her with what?” her eyes were guarded.

“She was sent to Reeducation,” I said miserably, knowing the inevitable next question.

“Why?” Carly demanded. Then she thought better of it. “Maybe you better come in,” she sighed. Marcus winked at her.

“Who are you two?” she asked after we had settled down in her room with sodas. Not diet like Sydney would have.

“I’m Marcus,” Marcus said, grinning at her.

“That’s a suspicious tattoo,” she said, testing.

“Just a little something to kill compulsion in Alchemyst tattoos and keep it from ever working on me again,” he said, “I gave up ‘that alchemyst crap’ too.” he added. She smiled a little more warmly at him before turning to me.

“And you?” she said, “Why does a Moroi care about my sister’s safety?”

“Because I care about her,” I said, staring at the table, “I’m Adrian, I’m the reason she’s in this mess in the first place,” I added bitterly. I looked up at them again to see a mixture of shock and sympathy on Carly’s face.

“How can I help?” she said finally, “I can’t just find this place.” Marcus started to speak.

“I’m not sure-”

“Wait,” I said, a few pieces of information coming together, “You’re Carly.”

“We established that,” she said, “You came looking for me, remember?”

“You could put us in contact with someone who’s been in reeducation,” She and Marcus looked confused.

“Um.. No, I really can’t,” she said, “Sorry.”

“When Sydney first came to Palm Springs, the local Alchemyst tried to get rid of her because he was running an illegal moroi blood and venom tattoo place to get money from humans. She busted his operation open, and then he was sent to Reeducation.”

“So?” she asked, Marcus still looking confused. I hesitated.

“Before I tell you this, even if you can get in touch with this person, you don’t have to. If you could just give us contact info, it would be amazing.” Carly’s eyes flashed in recognition and.. Fear?

“Keith?” she asked. I nodded. Her face was full of fear.

“I’m sorry-” I began.

“No,” she said, “Keith came to me a while back begging me for forgiveness, and begging me to turn him in to the human police. He was destroyed. He felt that prison was the only place safe from the Alchemysts. That’s who has Sydney?” she asked incredulous. I nodded at the table. I felt awful, this whole mess was my fault. If I hadn’t lost the stupid phone..

“Um.. If I might ask, what is your connection to Keith Darnell?” Marcus asked Carly.

“He raped me after taking me on a date when I was a teenager. I only told Sydney and made her promise not to tell,” Marcus looked floored. Carly simply shrugged, then looked at me with a critical eye.

“Sydney always made her own decisions fully informed,” Carly said a bit more gently, this to me, “whatever happened, she knew the risks. And she chose you anyway.”I half smiled at her. “You want me to contact Keith?”

“Just put us in contact,” Marcus assured her, “It wouldn’t be fair to ask you to do that.”

“I don’t care,” she said fiercely, looking more like Sydney than I could have imagined, “I’ll have an easier time getting information from him. I’ll do anything to help Sydney.”

“Any details on his location would be excellent,” Marcus suggested.

I put my head on the table, missing Sydney more than ever.

“Yo, Adrian was it?” I nodded at Carly, “You’re alright for an evil creature of the night.” I know she was trying to joke, but it was the last straw. She reminded me so much of Sydney making jokes like Sydney would make. Something in me shattered a little more. I put my head in my hands and tried to keep my body from shaking with the sobs I wanted to let out. I couldn’t be weak, Sydney needed me.


	5. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian gets a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is me trying to fix the fact that I dropped off the face of the earth. There will be another chapter or two after this one that gets posted, so enjoy!

Adrian

Carly emailed Keith from her phone, asking for a video chat when he was free.

“I’m sorry, Sage the eldest,” I tried to joke after I managed to pull myself together. Carly’s face was deadly serious.

“You love her,” she said to me. It wasn’t a question. I felt the darkness of spirit floating up into my soul.

“She is my flame in the dark,” I couldn’t think, the darkness was consuming me, “She showed me that I’m not at the mercy of the world around me. She believed in me. I could be better than I was. And for her, I wanted to be. She’s beautiful and brilliant and her aura is amazing. She makes me better. She chose me even though she had every reason not to,” my mind cleared slightly, 

“I’m just a useless Moroi royal party boy. Without her, I never would have been anything. She encouraged me to finish a semester of college for the first time. She called in a favor with her teacher to get me into college, I never would have been able to go without her. She gave up the option to have an apartment that could keep her at a distance from the creatures she was still anxious about, but she gave it up for me. Because she knew I wanted a place. She always went above and beyond, giving 110% to others. And she loved me.  _ Me. _ ” I shook my head. 

“How did they find you guys?” Carly asked, shocking me with her unvoiced acceptance, “I know Sydney, she’s smart enough to cover her tracks.” I felt even more miserable.

“We had these private, prepaid cell phones that she’d gotten to keep our relationship a secret. I lost mine, and Zoe found it. She reported it and the Alchemysts set up an ambush.”

It was quiet for a while, Carly sneaking odd glances at me as she did some homework. Marcus was simply texting people. Suddenly, Carly’s phone made a noise. She checked her email, and, eyes narrowed, began to type.

“She wouldn’t feel like it’s your fault,” Carly said, “it’s not her way. If anything, she’d blame herself,” Carly smiled slightly bitterly, “Sometimes I felt like she was the eldest and I was the middle sister. She always took care of others. I don’t blame you either. She made her decisions, As it happens,” she continued, “And I approve.” I stared openly at her. This woman was raised as an Alchemyst. She agrees with a human-vampire relationship? “I can see how Sydney would be attached to the brooding artist type, even though I never expected a Moroi.”

“Wait-” I stopped her, “How on earth did you know I was a brooding artist?”

“Paint on your hands,” she nodded at where I had my hands clasped on the table, “And brooding? Come on,” she teased, “That’s obvious. But you balance her out. She’s very facts oriented in a lot of ways, it could only help her to spend a lot of time with an artist,” Carly paused a moment, “So, um, how royal are you talking?”

“Queen Tatiana was my great aunt,” I answered automatically, still trying to parse through the information that Carly had imparted. Carly’s eyes widened, then narrowed as she looked closer at Marcus.

“The previous queen’s nephew and the most wanted ex-alchemyst. I’m honored,” she smiled and I was once again reminded of Sydney. 

A few hours later, we figured out that all Keith knew was that it had been dry and hot in the place that he had been taken. Since he mentioned also that it had been November when they’d taken him out of there, he managed to narrow our search considerably.  My heart lightened. We were so close!

Suddenly, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but something prompted me to take the call.

“Hello?”

“Lord Ivashkov?” a cool, feminine voice spoke.

“Speaking,” I said, attempting to sound royal, starting to worry.

“My name is Grace Sheridan. I am a high ranking Alchemyst in a rather top-secret department. I must request a meeting with you on a matter of some delicacy.” My tired brain whirred.

“I will consent to the meeting, but request the right to bring a guardian with me.”

“Granted,” Grace Sheridan said. She proceeded to set up a meeting at a Research facility in Death Valley in three days. When she hung up, I stared at the phone.

“Who was it?” Marcus asked.

“Is Death Valley on your list” I asked instead.

“Yes,” he affirmed, “Why?” I rattled off the name of the research center. “Can you check into that place? I’m meeting with Alchemysts there.” Shocked, Marcus complied. Soon, I got a text from Jill.  _ Eddie is on his way. Carly’s cool! She reminds me a lot of Sydney _

_ Thanks Jailbait. And she does. _

_ It’s no problem. You know why Eddie needs to do this _

I did know. Eddie had lost two people on his watch now at different times, he needed the opportunity to prove to himself that he’s as capable of a guardian as everyone else thinks he is.

Carly allowed us to stay in her dorm while she was in class. Within several hours, Marcus knew.

“It’s the reeducation center,” he affirmed. My eyes widened.

“What could they want?” I asked.

“You’re a royal and a Moroi, as well as a friend of the queen. They can’t hurt you. I honestly can’t find a good reason for them to need you to meet them. It worries me.

I was definitely glad Eddie was coming, I wasn’t sure I was up for this. Marcus’s next words confirmed my thought.

“We’re busting her out of there.” 


	6. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they find Sydney

Sydney

I had been in that cell forever.

Their tortures never seemed to end. Once they took my Nixie away, they stopped caring what they did to me. I simply let them. If I kept her safe, I would let them do this forever. It wouldn’t surprise me if forever was precisely what they had in mind.

Today seemed as though they wanted to mix it up a bit.

They strapped me into a chair, but, unlike normal, they didn’t turn on the projector to try to turn my brain against Moroi and Dhampirs. It hadn’t been working, simply because I said what they told me to say mechanically. Everything about me was mechanical. They kept doing it because they wanted to break me.

They didn’t know I was already broken.

“We need to take drastic measures,” the voice said coolly from the walls. I said nothing. Suddenly, I heard the door opening. Was someone coming in? I was almost moved to emotion because I hadn’t seen another human being, or even a moroi or dhampir, since the man had taken Nixie away. And that was the only person I’d seen it what felt like my whole life. I looked up and immediately wished I hadn’t

The creature that came in looked like a Moroi, but not quite. There was a spark of madness in its eyes. It was paler than it ought to have been, and it had scars around its mouth. My heart started beating faster.

“This is Willem,” the voice said, somewhat smugly, “He is here to show you what vampires do.” 

Willem walked over to me slowly. I couldn’t have moved or made a sound if I tried. I was a bird locked in the eyes of a snake. I realized what he was going to do a moment before he was going to do it. I simultaneously tensed and relaxed. This would hurt, but then at least I could deal with a drug induced stupor. It was better than the empty one. I could feel something again. He bit my neck.

The endorphins never came.

After a few moments, I managed to scream. It was that split second of a Strigoi bite dragged on for hours. There were no endorphins. I dimly realized why he had scars around his mouth. They had operated on him to remove the glands that create the endorphins. 

Soon, I passed out. 

After some time, I woke up in my cell. They didn’t give me much recovery time before they continued this particular torture.

I was in my cell when the alarms went off. I simply lay there, I wished they’d stop. I simply wanted to sleep. I wanted rest. I wished they’d leave me alone just long enough to rest. Or kill me, they had to know they weren’t getting anything else from me. 

Something came in my cell. I didn’t have the energy to see what or who it was. For all I knew, they were sending Willem in my cell to torture me some more. Suddenly, I felt air underneath me as I was lifted. I screamed.

“Calm down, Sydney, chill!” I froze. I knew this voice. Marcus.

“Marcus?” I croaked. He sighed in relief.

“Yeah,” he said, “We came to get you.”

“Who?” I croaked again, afraid of the answer.

“Me, my group, Eddie,” he said, “And Adrian of course.”

“Adrian is out there?” I hoped my fear didn’t show in my eyes. From the look on Marcus’s face, it did. He looked sad. 

“Of course he is,” Marcus said, “He’s been looking for you this whole time.” I rolled a bit to get out of his arms. “No,” Marcus said, holding on tighter, “You’re weak from bloodloss and malnourishment and God only knows what the hell else they did to you in there. You’re not walking.” I decided to wait. Then suddenly, I realized- someone would find Nixie! I could get her back!

But when I got back out of the building and scanned the whole area, I blanched. Had they lied to me yet again? Had they killed my baby? 

“Nixie?” I asked Marcus.

“What?” he replied, completely lost.

“Let me down,” I said in a firm, but frightened voice, “I need to find Nixie!”

“Sydney, what are you-” he stopped when I rolled out of his grip and ran as quickly as I could back into the building, which wasn’t that quickly. I called for her as I searched the building.

“Nixie! Nixie! NIXIE!” I cried, starting to worry that the tiny shred of life left in my heart was going to be extinguished. I heard a familiar voice shouting my name, but I couldn’t spare anything to focus on whoever it was. I  _ had _ to find Nixie. My Nixie. My Phoenix. Born of the ashes of the flame in the dark

Suddenly, I found myself in a room that looked like a hospital room, but instead of a bed, there was an incubator for babies. And I heard crying coming from it. 

“Nixie!” I cried. I ran over to her. She looked different. Her brightly blue eyes had changed to a familiar deep green, and she had a few wisps of blond hair. I carefully picked her up and rocked her, soothing her. There were some papers attached to her cradle and I grabbed those as well.

“Sydney? A scared, familiar voice cut through my singlemindedness. I turned around.

“Adrian?” I said, choking on his name, anxiety coursing through my entire body. I could feel the adrenaline, the flight or fight sequence trying to consume me.  _ Get it together, this is Adrian. He needs to meet his daughter. _ Even through the conditioned fear, I yearned to hug him. I knew that was a good sign. 

His face told me that I looked as bad as I felt. Then he saw Nixie, his own green eyes reflected back at him in another’s face.

“Um… Who’s this?” he asked, leery and confused. I took a deep breath.

“Nixie,” I said, “Phoenix Adriana Ivashkov.” My voice cracked on the last name. I almost wanted to laugh, he looked like he’d been hit with a board.

“Okay,” he said, “Obviously we have a lot to talk about. Will you come with me?” I stared at his mouth, knowing that his fangs hid there. My whole body shuddered. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Please don’t bite me,” I whispered before I could stop myself, tears coming to my eyes in fear and self hatred. I wanted to be strong like I always have been. But now I’m broken and fearful. Of  _ Adrian _ . He’d always protected me.

“Of course not, Sydney,” he looked so horrified even though his voice was soft, “I’d never do that.” I looked into his sad, hurt green eyes. I nodded and followed him out. 

Marcus was waiting, and looked shocked at what, or rather  _ who _ , I had with me. 

“We’re taking you.. Three, to a safe house for a few weeks. I’ll send ahead for supplies for the little one.” I nodded again. I was holding Nixie close, using her presence to calm the fear that had been conditioned into me. We got into a car with Marcus driving, and soon Adrian started asking questions.

“Why Phoenix?” he asked.

“Have you ever heard the legend of the phoenix?” I asked, glad to be on familiar academic territory.

“Not really,” he admitted.

“The Phoenix is a beautiful bird with feathers the color of fire. They are immortal and engage in a cycle of birth and death. When an old phoenix dies, it catches fire and burns to ashes. The baby bird is born out of the ashes of the flame. In this case,” I stroked Nixie’s hair, “This phoenix was born of the ashes of the flame in the dark.” I wouldn’t look at Adrian.

“Never took you for a poet, Sage,” he said quietly. I looked up, there were tears in his eyes. He knew what I was saying- I never expected to get out of there. He knew that Phoenix’s name was a message for him, just like Centrum Permanebit. “Can I hold her?” he asked unexpectedly. I hesitated, then handed her to her dad. I flinched when our skin touched. Adrian noticed and frowned, but then Nixie caught his eyes for the first time.


	7. Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian starts unravelling some of the mysteries behind Sydney's imprisonment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am awful at updating. Jeeze. It's not like I have to do much, just remember to post chapters regularly. Ugh. You guys are getting two or three chapters tonight as an apology.

Adrian

When Sydney flinched away from me, I frowned. I saw her fear from before, and realized that despite the love I saw in her eyes, I couldn’t ignore the fear. Or the self-hatred. She hated herself for fearing me. Which, in a way, showed that she knew that she didn’t need to be afraid. I was going to ponder ways to help her overcome her fear of me, but then the baby caught my eye for the first time. 

Nixie had wispy pieces of blonde hair and my own bright green eyes. When she looked at me, she made a tiny burbley sound. My eyes felt like they were going to fall out of my head.

“She’s beautiful,” I breathed. I looked at Sydney, and saw love light up her eyes and banish the fear as she looked at me holding Nixie. That was when I knew that it was going to end up okay. “Like you,” I added softly, looking at her.  She blushed slightly, but it was bright against her pale skin, and she half smiled.

“Thank you, Adrian,” she said softly, looking at me. For the first time since we had gotten her out of that place, the love in her eyes was brighter than the fear. The sound of my name in her familiar voice sent shivers down my spine. Oh how I’d missed her. I looked at her aura, the fear tone to it had lessened significantly. Because of that, I felt like it might be okay if I shifted Nixie to one arm and gently entwined my fingers with her shaking ones. 

She stiffened. I frowned, looking at her aura. I could tell she was fighting fear. I went to take my hand out of hers and she instinctively held tighter. As tight as her tired body let her. Encouraged, I gently stroked the back of her hand. After a moment, she relaxed.

She asked me quiet questions about Jill, Eddie, and the others. After a while, she hesitantly asked about how I’d found her. So I told her about Marcus looking through the cities, about Jackie scrying, and me looking in dreams. I left out the part where I was drunk for two months, but she could probably tell that I was leaving things out. Then I hesitantly told her about Carly.

“You spoke to Carly?” life bloomed in those tired brown eyes.

“She helped us find you,” I affirmed. She squeezed my hand. I wanted to cry seeing her, my heart broke for her weakened state. 

It wasn’t simply that she was exhausted, which she was, or that she was terrified, which she also was. It was that she looked malnourished. I could tell that she hadn’t been able to eat properly in a long time. It was that she flinched anytime someone spoke in a loud voice. It was that I could see bruises on her arms and neck. Neck?

I looked more closely at her neck and saw bite marks. Moroi bite marks. What? She seemed perfectly coherent. I looked at her eyes. They were clear, free from the chemicals that the kind of biting she looked like she’d been subjected to would release. I’d seen her under the influence of Moroi and Strigoi endorphins before, she wouldn’t be this coherent. It would however, make her apparent blood loss make sense. I thought about what she’d said earlier. “Don’t bite me.” What had they done to there in there?

If she would let me, I would heal her as soon as we got back to the safehouse. I would let her talk as much or as little as she liked. What she needed now was nourishment, safety, and love. I would be sure she got it.

After a few more hours, we arrived at Clarence’s house. She started shaking and looked disgusted at herself. Remembering what had calmed her previously, I squeezed her hand, then gave her Nixie. Her physical stress reactions stopped, then she sent me an apologetic look. I smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder. She didn’t flinch, and it looked like she counted that to be a huge victory. After a moment, she walked in.

“Welcome back,” Clarence said gently to Sydney, “Who’s this?” he referred to Nixie. I looked at Sydney. She took a deep breath.

“This is Nixie, Phoenix,” she said quietly, “Nixie Ivashkov.” Sydney looked at me as though worried about made the decision without me. I smiled at her, but internally was upset. She was so different now. Clarence looked stunned for a moment, then smiled. 

“Congratulations, young lady,” he said, “And to you too young man.” I blessed Clarence with every bone in my body for his nonjudgemental ways. Sydney smiled wearily. Clarence handed me what looked like a diaper bag, and told me that Dorothy had packed it and to choose whatever room I liked.

I guided Sydney to a room with a large king sized bed. She needed space, but I couldn’t allow myself to leave her. This would give her the space she needed hopefully. I gently took Nixie from her after laying some clean clothes for her on the bed.

“Shower, Sage,” I said gently. 

“Alright,” she said after a moment.

After she gathered her stuff together and the shower started, I realized that I was alone with a baby. I stared at Nixie.

“Well,” I told her, “We’re going to have to figure this out sometime.” I then realized that the baby smelled a bit strange. A check into the diaper she was wearing explained that. I searched the internet, then the diaper bag, and I began to try to figure it all out.

Ten minutes later, Nixie had a clean diaper and even a little onesie on. Luckily for me, she was a very accommodating baby. She was endlessly patient of my mistakes as long as they didn’t hurt her. I had even managed to give her a sketchy sort of bath with baby wipes. I smiled at her after cleaning up the mess, and handed her a pacifier from the bag. She sucked on it contently. 

“Well that went well,” I told her. She smiled, and I instinctively smiled back, “You’re such a pretty girl, little Nixie, such a beautiful girl like your mama,” I cooed at her. She began burbling back at me. “I’m Adrian, little dhampir, I’m your daddy.” I choked up at the words. I knew that my past with women might lead me here, but I had always been fairly careful. I’d never really thought about being a father. Not for real. But this baby, this little green eyed dhampir, was mine. She was my daughter. And she was perfect.


	8. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Syndrian reunion feels and also Adrian being adorable with Nixie

Sydney

When I got out of the shower, I saw Adrian cooing at Nixie and playing with her. My eyes teared up. How many times over the past months did I hope that he would want her, would love her? I thought about the daydreams that had kept me sane through Reeducation. The ones where Adrian was a doting dad and was constantly taking care of me while I was carrying Nixie. I would never get that time back, but neither would he. And he seemed to be making up for the time he’d lost. One of my dreams had come true.

Suddenly he noticed me.

“You look much better,” he said tactfully, smiling at me. I knew I did, with the dirt and sweat and general grossness of the past year washed away, I felt less afraid and more ready to handle whatever came. I looked down at me clothes and smiled

“I feel better,” I told him, “Thank you for choosing my clothes.” They had doubtlessly been his choice. I was wearing light blue jean shorts and my bright purple AYE shirt. When I put it on, it had smelled of Adrian. My Adrian. Further calming me in regards to him. His smile widened.

“You needed some color,” he declared. I smiled. He cleared his throat and asked quietly, “May I heal you?” My mind raced, and my body started to shake. Quietly, he got up and handed me Nixie. That calmed the physical shakes, but not the emotional ones. He put a single hand on my shoulder. “I would never hurt you,” he said clearly, looking into my eyes. I looked at him for a while longer, then nodded slowly. He moved his hand from my shoulder to my neck and closed his eyes. I felt the tiny high of spirit healing go through me as he healed the bites.

“How are you not addicted?” he asked quietly, staring at my now clear neck. I was confused until I realized what he meant. I felt the blood drain out of my face. “You don’t have to tell me now,” he rushed to say. I was touched that he would think of me. I boxed up my emotions for a moment.

“They had a Moroi of some sort in their facility. I don’t know if he was insane to begin with, but he is now. He had no endorphins in his saliva. I have no idea how.” Adrian looked appalled, but didn’t probe further. I was grateful for how understanding he was being. He hesitantly placed a hand on my back. When I didn’t flinch, he smiled at me and rubbed my back. 

After I was calmer, Adrian looked at me,

“I’m going to find you and Nixie some food, and I’m going to call some reinforcements. Dorothy will find you food, and once you’ve eaten something I want you to rest, okay?” I frowned, then swallowed as a thought occurred to me.

“Once I’ve eaten, will you come back until I’m asleep? I-” I paused, hesitant to admit weakness, “I’m scared to be alone.” Adrian looked pleasantly surprised.

“Of course I will,” he said warmly, “I just wasn’t sure..” he trailed off. As awkward as I was being with him, he probably wasn’t sure I’d wanted him there. But every moment I was getting more comfortable with him.

“The worst of it was the isolation,” I said unexpectedly, “In that whole year the only people I saw was the doctor who took Nixie after she was born and Willem, the Moroi. And Willem is only very loosely defined as a person and only because of the terrifying… joy he had in his task.

“I spent so much time lonely and afraid and unable to sleep enough,” I paused, “They wanted to break me. They almost did.”

“But they didn’t,” Adrian pointed out, “You were stronger.” I smiled a bit. Yes, I had been stronger than the Alchemysts. I was getting more and more comfortable around Adrian. A strange Moroi would probably cause problems, but ones I knew would never show me harm were slowly coming off the scary list. 

Greatly daring, I shifted Nixie to on arm and wrapped the other around Adrian’s waist. He felt comfortable and familiar. At first, he was too shocked to move, but then he slowly drew his arm around my shoulders so that I was tucked up into his side. He maneuvered me so that we could sit down on the small loveseat in the room, and I readjusted Nixie so that she wouldn’t be squished as I snuggled further into his side. She spat out the pacifier that I just noticed that she was in possession of, and started babbling at us.

“Adrian, did you clean her up ?” I asked, slightly incredulously. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but didn’t think Adrian did either.

“Yep,” he said proudly, “I cleaned her and changed her and put her in this cute little piece of clothing. The internet called it a ‘onesie,’ actually. I googled all of the steps in changing her,” He added sheepishly.

“Oh Adrian, that’s amazing!” I was grinning broadly, pleased and touched that he took his responsibility to Nixie so seriously. I felt his lips on my forehead and smiled gently. 

“What were you going to name her if she’d been a boy?” Adrian asked suddenly. I blushed a little.

“Aleks,” I said, “Aleksandr Phoenix. The Russian variant of the first name since that seems to be a fairly common theme among the Moroi.”

“That’s a good name,” he reassured me, “I love her name though I don’t know why you’d name her after me.” I was quiet for a moment. It had initially been a gift for him, my last gift. Or so I thought. I was glad it hadn’t been the final thing I could give Adrian.

“It flowed,” I said finally, “And the feminine variant of your name is almost as pretty as you are,” I teased weakly, then looked up at him. He seemed pleased to see me joking.

“Should I see about that food?” At my nod, he left with a wink to find Dorothy.


	9. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title says most of it but doesn't mention Hopper

**** Adrian

As I walked to find Dorothy, I began to try to puzzle out Sydney’s behaviour. I’d been watching her aura, and it warmed as I stayed with her. I assumed that they had been mostly trying to make her fear moroi in general, but the large amount of personal experience she had with me was apparently overcoming the fear conditioning. Her little joke about my name had let me breathe a sigh of relief. My Sydney was still there despite all they’d done to her.

I soon returned to the room with food for both girls. I also had a contraption slung over my shoulder that Dorothy swore would be a baby bed after some set-up. After placing the tray on a table and divesting myself of the odd contraption, I pulled a crystal dragon out of my pocket.

“Hopper!” Sydney cried when she saw the dragon. She looked skeptical when I went to take Nixie from her.

“Eat,” I said firmly, “I’ve got this.” Her expression was mysterious.

“So you have,” she said finally.

She traded me dragon for baby, and I fed Nixie while Sydney alternated feeding herself and Hopper. There was plenty of food on the tray, but Sydney wisely stuck to plain things like a turkey sandwich, feeding Hopper the sweet things and the rich things.

Soon, girl, baby, and dragon were quiet and full. Sydney, bless her, set up the mysterious contraption called a “pack and play” for Nixie, and I cuddled the baby and rocked her while Sydney slowly worked on the contraption. Nixie whimpered, and I, for lack of any other ideas, began singing an old song by The Doors. Miraculously, it worked, and Nixie began to calm down. Soon, she was sleeping.

“You’re a natural at this,” Sydney said quietly.

“Nah,” I told her, “I just kinda go with it and hope.”

“I hope I do well with her when I get a chance to really help her,” Sydney said wistfully.

“Sorry about hogging her today,” I told Sydney. I’d forgotten that she’d not spent any more time with Nixie than I had.

“Today I need to be taken care of,” she said quietly, but firmly. “Once I’ve slept, I can do more.”

“Good,” I said, I wanted her to relax. As though she could read my mind, she climbed into the bed and cuddled up, looking at me expectantly. I smiled, then put Nixie into the box bed contraption. Once she was settled, safely on her back as the internet had informed me, I sat down on the bed next to where Sydney lay and began stroking her damp hair. Her eyelids fell immediately. She had a slight smile on her face.

While I sat there, I texted Carly: _I have her, she’s safe_

_Can I come visit?_

_Let me get some guards of a sort._

_Good idea._

I sent a short message to Rose. She knew that Sydney had been missing, and had wanted to get her back, but Lissa had prevented her.

_Have Sydney. If you can, you and Belikov need to get here fairly quickly. There’s a lot that’s happened and I need someone I trust to help me until we can figure out how to proceed._

Now to wait. I knew that Rose would get back to me as quickly as she could. In the meantime, we were as safe as we could be. I gently got up and went to shower. When I got out, both of my girls were still sleeping. I smiled, then climbed on top of the comforter of the bed. I snuggled up near Sydney and managed to join her in an exhausted slumber.

I woke hours later to the sound of whimpering and crying. Nixie was awake. I changed her again, slowly and with an impressive lack of finesse. I then picked her up and lay on my side on one edge of the bed. Nixie was placed next to me, with plenty of room between her and Sydney. Sydney would murder me if she accidentally smothered Nixie. I quietly played with Nixie, giving her toys from the diaper bag to chew on. Suddenly, I looked up and Sydney was there. She’d managed to roll over and watch me play with Nixie for a few minutes while I was engrossed in my own thoughts.

She looked to me, and I handed her the toy. She began cooing at Nixie and playing with her. I loved playing with Nixie, but I knew that she needed time with Sydney. She responded well to the playing, so there was a good chance that she had been fairly well taken care of for the short time she was at the Reeducation center. She was starting to get attached to Sydney and I, which was as it should be.

I lay there contented and watched my girls play together. It was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. While they were engrossed in each other, I grabbed my phone off the dresser and snapped a picture. As thin and worn as Sydney looked, she was still my beautiful girl.

Since Sydney had Nixie well in hand, I went to find Dorothy to get all of us more food. And I needed blood too. Soon after I‘d had my blood, Dorothy came in our room with a large tray and another bottle. Sydney took the bottle from her and began to feed Nixie, crooning softly to her all the while.

“She’ll sleep again after you feed her,” Dorothy advised, “She will sleep after every feeding for a while. She is quite young.”

“Thank you,” Sydney said quietly, “That’s good to know.”

“You probably need to rest after eating as well,” I told her. She nodded.

“I will,” she promised.

After Sydney had fed and burped Nixie and had her sleeping, she applied herself much more vigorously to her food than she had previously. I smiled as I ate some of the food as well. Sydney would get better. She was strong. She had made it. Our happy ending would come.

I looked at the text I’d just received from Rose, and noted the time before reminding her not to be followed. Sydney had time for a nice nap before the cavalry arrived.

“Is this the final escape plan then?” she asked, “Living at Clarence’s?”

“No,” I admitted, “I was mostly focusing on getting you out. And now I’m focused on getting you rest. I’ve called in the cavalry and we’ll figure out what to do.”

“The cavalry?” she asked.

“Rose and Belikov,” I admitted, “Eddie is out in the front, and Jill might be out there as well if you want to say hello. I’d advise a nap before Rose gets here though, she’s bound to be a handful.” I grimaced. Rose was going to go completely nuts. Sydney seemed to understand.

“I would like to see Jill and Eddie,” she mused, “And it might do Eddie some good to see me cleaned up and… more human looking,” she admitted. “I ought to apologize to him.” I didn’t think she needed to apologize, but he did need to talk to her, so I kept my mouth shut. They’d be better able to help each other than I would be able to help either of them individually.


End file.
